Reading Harry Potter Year 1
by fathermoony
Summary: The Maurader's and their friends along with their professors read the HP Books starting with year 1. Readers will be given several options to choose from in several chapters.
1. the arrivals

James Potter and Sirius Black were sitting in the common room going over their latest prank when the door to the dorm opened up, thinking it was one of their friends they didn't look up, "Mr. Potter, Mr. Black you two come with me now." They both jumped at the sound of the voice and looked up to see their head house McGonagall standing in the room.

The quickly got their stuff together and followed their professor, "Where we going professor?" "Professor Dumbledore has asked for me to get you two, your friends are waiting for you."

They soon figured out that they were going the wrong way, "Professor aren't we going to Professor Dumbledore's office?" "No Mr. Potter we are going to the room of requirement."

When the two arrived with McGonagall they soon noticed that their friends Arthur Weasley, Molly Prewett, Alice Prewett, Frank Longbottom, Remus Lupin, Andromeda Black, Teddy Tonks, and Lilly Evens were there sitting along with Albus Dumbledore their head master.

The two quickly took their seats next to their friend Remus, who gave them a smile. As they heard the headmaster clear his throat their turned to listen to hear what he had to say.

"I asked you all to be in for I have received a very important message for all of us to be hear for we will be reading a book."

Before any one could ask questions there was a bright light and there stood an older Remus Lupin and several young adults who seemed to be in there early twenties.

The older Remus introduced his companions as Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, Hermonie Granger, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, and Harry Potter.

The older Remus explained that they came from the future and that they to the past to let what horrible events would occur, so they could change it. He explained that in order to that they needed to keep an opened mind and not judge any one no matter what they had read that the person will do and say.

Harry said, "Okay well I guess I will start to read the first book."

"The first book, there's more than one" asked Sirius.

Harry rolled his eyes at Sirius, "Yes Padfoot there are 7 to be exact and we are going to read them to you."

Harry read the Title and started to read.

**And so it begins….**


	2. Idea

**Story Idea: I have 2 more story ideas, but I don't have the time to write these ideas plus I wouldn't know how. **

**Idea # 1:**

**I think it would be cool if the Maurader's (minus Peter) with James and Remus parents along with Harry and Teddy Lupin read with their parents and grandparents so they get to know their parents and grandparents, but because they are finding out about the future Book 7 ends differently with Remus, Fred, Collin, and Tonks live more death eaters die instead. Harry and Remus end up having a father/son bond as well.**

**Idea # 2:**

**I keep wondering what it would have been like if Tonks became pregnant after the final battle, so Remus went with the golden trio to hunt the Horcux (same Horcux in book 7). Basically it would be the same except Remus was on the hunt. Same people didn't die from idea 1. **

**If someone does decide to take more ideas please let me know and once in a while let me know what your version for the story is so I can maybe put my input into it as well. Think of it as you write the idea and I give some ideas in this story.**

**Thanks.**

**FatherMoony**


	3. The Boy Who Lived

I am sorry to make everyone wait. I lost my train of thought and decided that Remus won't appear until Harry's 3rd year.

**I am going to call the younger version of Lupin – Moony. **

The Boy Who Lived

"Something tells me I am not going to like the sound of this" Moony said. All those from the past agreed.

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. **

"Well that's just plan dumb" Sirius said, but decided to stay quite after receiving a glare from Lilly.

**They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense. **

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. **

"What are drills" asked Ron. Lilly, Hermione, and Harry explained to him what they were and Harry resumed reading.

**He was a big, beefy man that his XX Large T-shirt was almost too small for him with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache making him look like a warthog. **

"Yep that's exactly him alright, but I wouldn't say he was a warthog" said Harry. "No he is more like a blimp with pig like features" laughed Remus. The rest of the people in the room laughed as well.

**Mrs. Dursley was a thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, who looked like a goose, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors.**

"That sounds like my sister, she never changes" Lilly said sadly, she did miss being able to talk to her sister who refused to talk to her own sister just because she was different than her.

**The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere seeing that he looked exactly like his father, just as heavy and looking like a pig.**

"They really should stop comparing these people to animals, it really is an insult" exclaimed Sirius who was trying to be "serious." Everyone just laughed.

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. **

"And what is wrong with Potters" James said clutching his fists. "There is nothing wrong with the Potters, they're the best" Sirius said draping an arm over his best mate's shoulder.

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister,** **because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish** **as it was possible to be; meaning that they were "normal" everyday people who did not go dressing in strange outfits or saying made up words. **

Lilly was trying her best not to cry after hearing this, while everyone else just glared at the book. Harry got up and sat by his mother who smiled to him and he smiled back.

**The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. They feared that the neighbors would chase them out of town, if they were seeing with such as unusual people, which is what the Potters are. **

"Now that is the pot calling the kettle black" Sirius who lightened the mood.

**The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.**

"I wouldn't want my son around your son anyways" said Lilly who put her arm around her son. "That's right who knows maybe their son would be contaminating our son" James stated who moved to sit by his wife and son.

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work, a grayish blue tie, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair. **

"What a brat" all exclaimed those from the past. "Yes he is" exclaimed those from the future.

**None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window. **

**At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls.**

"**Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive. **

**It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar — a cat reading a map. **

"I bet it's Minnie" said James and Sirius. Moony and Lilly just rolled his eyes. "Potter, Black don't call me that." "Opps sorry Professor" they forgot she was there. Remus looked on with amusement he missed his friends dearly. Harry noticed Remus' face and gave him a smile who smiled back.

**For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen — then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive — no, **_**looking **_**at the sign; cats couldn't read maps **_**or **_**signs, he definitely needs to drink more coffee. **

"That's what you think" sniggered Sirius.

**Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day. **

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in weird cloaks. **

"Oh dear that's not good the muggles will notice" stated Moony. All his friends nodded agreeing with him.

**Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes — the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdoes standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together.**

**Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt —these people were obviously collecting for something… yes, that would be it, charity, well they weren't getting anything from them. **

**The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills. **

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. **_**He **_**didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead.**

**Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime. Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. **

**He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery. **

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made his stomach uneasy. **

**This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying. **

"**The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard —" **

" — **yes, their son, Harry —" **

"Oh dear, I don't like this" Lilly said. "Oh don't worry honey I'm sure nothing is wrong" James said trying to convince Lilly, but didn't sound very convincing. "Don't call me that Potter" glaring Lilly. "But" James started but decided to keep quite.

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead. **

**Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it. **

**He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone,** **and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking… no, he was being stupid.**

**As he was rubbing his large belly, he sat there thinking, Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew **_**was **_**called Harry. **

**He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold. **

"He doesn't even know your name" Lilly said looking at her son who just shrugged didn't want to make his mom worry.

**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her — if **_**he'd **_**had a sister like that… but all the same, those people in cloaks… **

**He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door. **

"**Sorry," he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! **

"What!" James and Sirius started dancing, but stopped when they noticed the looks from their future guests.

**Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!" **

**And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley and walked off.**

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination. **

**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw—and it didn't improve his mood — was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. **

**It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes. **

"**Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly.**

**The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look that made him and his large belly want to deflate into nothingness. **

"Yep definitely Minnie" James and Sirius said. Lilly and Moony said, "You two would know seeing that see gives you that look every time you do something." "Knowing them they got into trouble at least three times a day" Remus said who laughed with the others at a pouting James and Sirius even McGonagall and Dumbledore were laughing.

**Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife. **

**Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!"). Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news: **

"_**And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?" **_

"_**Well, Ted," said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early — it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight." **_

**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters…**

**Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. He just decided not to ruin her day by mention such nonsense.**

**Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something. **

"I wonder what you're doing there Professor" stated Moony who looked at McGonagall who just shrugged saying that she did not know either.

**Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did… if it got out that they were related to a pair of — well, he didn't think he could bear it. **

**The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters **_**were **_**involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind… He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on — he yawned and turned over — it couldn't affect **_**them**_**… **

**How very wrong he was. **

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.**

**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed. **

**Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name was Albus Dumbledore. **

"What is he doing there?" No one decided to talk; they just wanted to get the suspense over with.

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known." **

**He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. **

**He clicked it again — the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it. **

"**Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall." **

Everyone smiled, but kept quite to not interrupt Harry reading.

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled. "How did you know it was me?" she asked. **

"**My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly." **

"**You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall. **

"**All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here." **

**Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily. **

"**Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no — even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." **

**She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls… shooting stars… Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent — I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense." **

"**You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years." **

"**I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors." **

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really **_**has **_**gone, then my love?"**

"What they love each other" asked a shocked Ron. "Well yeah they're married" answered Lilly. Ron's jaw dropped. Both Professors smiled at one another.

"**It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. **

"**We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?"**

"**You are your sweets" humphed McGonagall.**

"**That's why you married" Dumbledore trying to tease his wife. **

"**No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. "As I say, even if Voldermort **_**has **_**gone —" **

"**The owls are nothing next to the **_**rumors **_**that are flying around. You know what they're saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?" **

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer. **

"**What they're **_**saying**_**," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. **

Lilly and James grabbed a hold of each other, who were both pale. Sirius and Moony put an arm on James' shoulder.

**The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are — are — that they're — **_**dead**_**." **

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped. **

Lilly and James cried. Sirius, who couldn't take it, got up and left. Moony went to go after him, but Harry shook his head. After Lilly, James, and Moony calmed down, Sirius who still didn't returned, Harry decided to go look for his godfather he knew this would be hard for him. Remus gave Harry an encouraging smile. Harry just patted Remus on the back.

He couldn't believe it, he just couldn't believe it. His best friend, his brother would die just a couple of years from now. "Sirius are you okay?" Sirius looked up at Harry.

Harry hugged his godfather and comforted him the best he could, he knew that Sirius always felt guilty and responsible for his friend's death.

Twenty minutes later Sirius and Harry came back. James, Lilly and Moony hugged each other.

"Are you okay cub" Remus asked Harry. "I think I will be, it's just," but Harry didn't need to explain any further. Remus and Harry hugged.

Harry resumed reading.

"**Lily and James… I can't believe it… I didn't want to believe it… Oh, Albus…"**

**Dumbledore reached out and wrapped an arm around her on the shoulder. "I know… I know…" he said heavily as she began to cry for both Lilly and James. **

"Looks like Minnie liked you Prongs" Sirius said trying to lighten the mood. "Of course I did, Mr. Black, but don't let it go to your head Potter" smiled McGonagall. "Too late for that." "OH!"

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry. **

"What, that…" all four friends started swearing.

**But he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke — and that's why he's gone." **

**Dumbledore nodded glumly. **

"**It's — it's **_**true**_**?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done… all the people he's killed… he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding… of all the things to stop him… but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"**

"**We can only guess." said Dumbledore. "We may never know." **

"You did" said Sirius who was now staring at Harry with awe. "I am so proud of you" Lilly said. "Cant' breathe." "Let the boy breath Lills" laughed James who hugged his son after Lilly let him go.

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?" **

"**Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me **_**why **_**you're here, of all places?" **

"**I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now." **

"Over my dead body" Lilly yelled. No one decided to bring up that she is dead because no one wanted to deal with her temper that or upset her.

"**You don't mean – you **_**can't **_**mean the people who live **_**here**_**?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "You can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son — I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!" **

"**It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter." **

"**A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter?**

"What good will that do" Lilly started vented. "Promise me Prongs and Moony that you will take Harry away from those awful relatives" James sated to his friends. "We will you can count on us" Sirius said. "That's right" Moony said slapping Sirius back.

Remus and Harry smiled at each other.

**These people will never understand him! He'll be famous — a legend — I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in the future — there will be books written about Harry — every child in our world will know his name!" **

"**Exactly." said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?" **

"Damn he's right, he would be an arrogant git with a huge head just like his father" both Sirius and Lilly said. "Oi." Everyone else laughed at a pouting James.

**Professor McGonagall then said, "I know Lilly will be kicking and screaming in her grave if she knew that her sister, the sister who treated Lilly with disgrace, the sister that made Lilly come crying after she would spend the holidays with her family. I won't allow it. Why not Remus instead, after all the Potters were his friends and besides he will raise the boy the Muggle way.**

"That's right you better not Professor" Lilly looked deadly now. Dumbledore was scared he gulped he hoped for his sake that he decided to listen to his wife.

**Dumbledore thought about this his wife did have an excellent point, but however he knew he was right, but before he could say any more a low rumbling sound had interrupted his thought. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky — and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them. **

**If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. **

"Sweet I want motorcycle" Sirius said who began to drool.

**He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so **_**wild **_**— long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.**

"**Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?" **

"**Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir."**

"Yes sweet!" "Wait why would you let them take our son to those awful muggles" asked James. "I don't know" shrugged Sirius. James was thinking if he died Sirius would try and avenge him and Lilly's death. He did not notice the sad look those from the future where giving Sirius, but Lilly noticed and made a mental note to ask her son and Remus, she had a bad feeling and couldn't understand why Sirius' future self did not come with future Remus and Harry.

"**No problems, were there?" **

"**No, sir — house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."**

Lilly and James paled, while Sirius looked at Harry with awe making Harry squirm due to being looked at.

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a fire ball in the middle of his forehead between his eyes.**

"Cool" James and Sirius said. "Enough" growled Remus who wrapped an arm around his cub. James and Sirius backed off. "You're making Harry uncomfortable" stated Lilly who noticed her son who was now blushing. James and Sirius decided to not say anything with an angry Remus, Lilly, and Ginny who looked ready to send a boogey hex at them.

"**Is that where —?" whispered Professor McGonagall. **

"**Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever." **

James and Sirius continued to sneak glances at Harry who seemed to notice.

"**Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?" **

"**Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. Well — give him here, Hagrid — we'd better get this over with." **

"Too bad" muttered Harry.

**Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house. **

"**Could I — could I say good-bye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog. **

"**Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "You'll wake the Muggles!" **

"**S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it —Lily an' James dead — an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles —" **

"**Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two.**

**For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out. **

"**Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations." **

"**Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I best get this bike away. G'night, Professor McGonagall — Professor Dumbledore, sir." **

**Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night. **

"**I shall see you soon, I expect, dear," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply, "I'll be there in a bit".**

**Dumbledore packed his wife on the back, he knew to let her be. **

**Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four. **

"**Good luck, Harry," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone. **

**Soon Professor McGonagall followed.**

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley… He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter — the boy who lived!"**

"Well that was interesting."


	4. Vanishing Glass

James decided to read next.

**The Vanishing Glass**

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets — but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too. **

**Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day. **

"**Up! Get up! Now!" **

"Well that's a pleasant way to get wake up to, now isn't it" laughed Sirius. Harry laughed all with his godfather.

**Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again. **

"**Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.**

"That's because it wasn't a dream, it did happen" stated Sirius. Harry rolled his eyes, "How was I suppose to know that Padfoot?"

**His aunt was back outside the door. **

"**Are you up yet?" she demanded. **

"**Nearly," said Harry. **

"**Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday." **

**Harry groaned. **

"**What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door. **

"**Nothing, nothing…" **

**Dudley's birthday — how could he have forgotten? Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider**

**off one of them, put them on. Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept. **

"WHAT?" everyone except from Harry's time screamed.

Harry slowly backed away from the adults. Remus put an arm around his cub. Lilly looked ready to kill Dumbledore.

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike.**

"And here I thought Regulus was spoiled" stated Sirius. "I resent that Sirius" said a voice making everyone turn around. There stood an older Regulus Black were black leather pants and a white shirt with a smile on his face. "What, but how" Sirius was shocked to say the least his brother looked older then him now.

Regulus laughed, "You forget Sirius about time travel" said as he pointed to Harry and Remus. "Oh, well" stated an embarrassed Sirius, his younger brother stepped up to him and draped an arm around him, "Everything will be revealed in the books Sirius, besides I can't let Harry and Remus have all the fun now can I?" Harry and Remus smiled at Regulus who gave Harry a wink.

After Harry explained what they had read so far to Regulus, they decided to have Regulus from this time join in as well after this chapter was done, so with that James resumed reading.

**Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise — unless of course it involved punching somebody.**

"That better not mean what I think that means' growled Sirius and Moony. Remus, Regulus, and Harry gave each other a look.

**Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry, but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast**.

**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age, that and he had a secret. You see Harry discovered he had many talents. Fortunately for him, many of them, his family did not know about any of them. One of these hidden talents was the ability to run really fast not like any normal human being.**

"Like superman" stated Lilly. Harry nodded his head and explained to everyone else in the room.

**Harry looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear where old clothes of Dudley's and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was. **

Lilly started muttering about wanting to kill her sister and how she was going to make Petunia pay.

**Harry had a thin face, knobby knees, black hair, and bright green eyes.**

James looked dreamily over at Lilly who noticed that and just rolled her eyes.

**He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt.**

Everyone looked at Harry making him feel uncomfortable. Remus cleared his throat causing them to turn away. 

**He had had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it. **

"**In the car crash when your parents died," she had said.**

"That's a lie" shouted James, Sirius, Moony, and Lilly causing Harry to go stiff and shake a little. Remus moved over and started rubbing circles around his back and whispering in his ear.

"**And don't ask questions." **

**Don't ask questions — that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.**

**There was a list of rules that he learned to follow when it came learning with the Dursleys.**

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon. **

"**Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.**

"Like that is going to work" Sirius laughed.

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way — all over the place. **

**Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. **

**Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel — Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig. **

Everyone laughed.

**Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell. **

"**Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year." **

"**Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mummy and Daddy." **

"**All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over and then grabbed some napkins and transformed them into the missing bacon so that his Aunt and Uncle won't notice any missing bacon. **

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right?" **

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty… thirty…" **

"**Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.**

"**Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then." **

**Uncle Vernon chuckled. **

"**Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair. **

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. **

**He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried. **

"**Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him."**

**She jerked her head in Harry's direction. **

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned. **

"**Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this. Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again. **

"**We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested. **

"**Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy."**

**The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there — or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug. **

"**What about what's-her-name, your friend — Yvonne?" **

"**On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia. **

"**You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).**

Remus smiled at Harry and whispered, "Nice try cub."

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon, which Harry hoped that she would choke on it.**

Lilly went to yell at her son, but one look from Remus stopped her. He noticed both Lilly's and James' questioning look and mouthed "Latter, third book."

"**And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled. **

"**I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening.**

"**I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "… and leave him in the car…" **

"**That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone…" **

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying — it had been years since he'd really cried — but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted. **

"**Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him. **

"**I… don't… want… him… t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "He always sp-spoils everything!" He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms. **

**Just then, the doorbell rang — "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically — and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. **

**Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once. **

**Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.**

"**I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, "I'm warning you now, boy — any funny business, anything at all — and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas." **

"**I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly…" **

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did.**

"Why doesn't that surprise me" growled Lilly.

**The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen. **

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses.**

**Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair had grown but thinker and a lot messier before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off. **

"Cool" stated Ron, Neville, Sirius, Frank, Arthur, and James. "Are you a meta-"started to ask Sirius. Harry smiled, "Maybe you'll have to wait and see now what you."

**He had been given a week in his cupboard for this without any meals, even though he had tried to explain that he couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly. **

At his mother's look, Harry sighed, "I picked the lock and went and got something to eat."

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls). **

**The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. **

**Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished. **

"Good" stated everyone except Harry.

**On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney. So that's how he discovered his ability to run fast and transport from place to place.**

**The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big trashcans outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid-jump. But he couldn't find a way to explain about the red and orange light when he transported up there, besides he didn't get a chance to talk any farther due to his punishment.**

"Did they hit you" asked Lilly. "Yes but not as hard." Everyone gave Harry a look knowing he was lying, but he just gave them a look back, "I don't want to worry her." They dropped it, they knew this was going to be an issue for Harry still doesn't like to talk about it.

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room. **

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects. This morning, it was motorcycles.**

"… **Roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them. **

"**I had a dream about a fly motorcycle," thought Harry. But kept his mouth shout and didn't voice this.**

"Well at least you got my common sense then" stated Lilly. "That he does, thank Merlin for that Lills" laughed Remus. "I have commons sense too you know" stated James. "Sure you do Prongs" laughed Sirius.

**If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon — they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas. **

"Well that's just plain stupid" stated Frank.

**That was another rule, rule number two don't talk about dreams or any thing with imagination with any adults because it will just get you into trouble.**

Lilly and the others from this time were getting increasingly worried about Harry. They kept hearing more and more disturbing things, they just hoped that they were wrong.

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop. **

**It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond. **

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him. **

**They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbockers glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first. **

**Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last.**

Lilly put her head in her hands, "I don't like the sound of this." Harry went and sat by his mom to hold her hand, while they listened to James read.

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can — but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep. **

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils. **

"**Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge. **

"**Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on. **

"**This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away. **

**Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself — no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house. **

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's. **

**It winked.**

"Okay that's weird," James said then looked toward his son who was extremely scared and shacking. He didn't know how he felt about it, if it was true. He went over to the scared young man and carefully took an arm and reached it over his son's shoulder who flinched from the touch. He looked over at Remus who seamed to be close with Harry. Remus smiled and nodded to his friend for encouragement. Harry wasn't looking at his father. He was shacking too badly, all he wanted to do was run into Remus' arms and hid and make them stop staring at him. James slowly took his other hand and brought it to his son's face who tried to pull away and made him look his father in the eye and asked, "You're a Parselmouth?"

Harry stared at his father scared, he thought he had a few more sentences before anyone realized. "Yeah," he whispered, though the truth was that he wasn't anymore, not since the final battle.

"How?" James asked, he knew that it was a skill that was past down the family lines, and he wasn't a Parselmouth.

"I can't say," Harry said not meeting his father confused and apprehensive stare. He pulled away from James and walked over to Remus. Harry hid his face in his adoptive father's chest.

Lilly went over along with James, Sirius, and Moony next to the scared shacking teen in Remus' arms. Lilly slowly wanted to touch Harry, but didn't know what to do or say. Moony was the first was to speak, "Harry could you please for one second look at us." Harry slowly pulled himself away from Remus and looked at the three with a tear stained face.

James spoke up, "Harry-son I don't care that you are a Parselmouth, all that matter's to me is that you're my son." "That's right Harry, we love you no matter what" stated Lilly. Moony and Sirius nodded and gave Harry a smile. Harry moved and hugged his father first, which surprised James, due to that fact that it seemed that Harry was shy around other older men, but he returned his son's hug. After all three hugged, James went back to reading with his son leading against him.

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too. If it wasn't for the fact that this was not his first time talking to a snack he would be shocked. Harry also discovered one time when he was younger that he could talk to animals, mostly dogs, birds, snacks, cats, rabbits, horses and rodents.**

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, and then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly: **

"**I get that all the time." **

"**I know," Harry murmured through the glass, "It must be really annoying." **

**The snake nodded vigorously. **

"**Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked. **

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it. **

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil. **

"**Was it nice there?" **

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see — so you've never been to Brazil?"**

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump. "DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!" **

**Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could. **

"**Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. **

**What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened — one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror. **

**Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished.**

"Sweat" stated Sirius that reminded Harry too well that the twins shared when they were planning something.

**The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits. **

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come… Thanksss, amigo." **

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock. **

"**But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?" **

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"**

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He grabbed Harry by the shirt and threw him in his room, "Go — cupboard — stay — no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy. **

James wanted to growl, but then remember Harry was next to him and didn't want to scare him.

**Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food. **

**He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead. **

Everyone looked at the blushing teen again. "How about you keep reading there James?" Remus stated with a raised eyebrow. James nodded. Harry mouthed "Thanks" to Remus who smiled at him.

**This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all. **

**His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house. **

**When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; the Dursleys were his only family. Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too. **

**A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look. **

**At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.**

Sirius went to get his younger brother. Harry went to talk to talk to Dumbledore about getting Professor Flitwick to join in on the reading. James, Lilly, and Moony went to Remus and the older Regulus, "We need to talk about what just happened a few minutes ago with the Parselmouth issue." Remus nodded and waved for them to go towards the other end of the room where he cast a spell so no one could here.

To be continued…

Sorry can't tell you the conversation. I decided to put my Training in the Past and Changes of Light on hold because I am thinking of doing things in order and keep theses stories together as a series. Furthermore the Parselmouth will happen in Training in the Past, so that is why I'm not going to tell you the conversation, same thing goes with how far Harry's abuse is.

Please review.


	5. letters from no one

After Sirius came back with his younger brother and Dumbledore with Flitwick and Hagrid they all got ready to listen to Sirius read the next Chapter.

"**Letters From No One,"** he read. "

**The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest-ever punishment. **

"Did he hit you?" Remus whispered to Harry who sitting next to him. "Yes but it not as bad." Remus nodded his head letting Harry know what he meant.

**By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays had started and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches. **

"Brat." "Is she okay?" "Yes mom" Harry said rolling his eyes.

**Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader. **

"Figures" stated Lilly as she was looking at Sirius and James. "What" they said as they noticed her look she was giving him. Lilly went to tell them they knew what that look meant, but Moony motioned for Sirius to keep reading, which he did.

**The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport: Harry Hunting. **

"If there is one thing I can't stand is a bully" stated Sirius. James nodded his head in agreement. Lilly muttered "hypocrites." "What do mean Lilly flower?" "You know very well what I mean Potter and don't call me that. See you that you and Black bully a certain Slytherin." James and Lilly were going to argue, but Remus stepped in, "That's enough lets get back to the reading." He said this as he motioned that they were upsetting their future son to nock it off and quit arguing. Remus sat back next down to Harry, the two felt ashamed. Harry still looked upset that his parents seemed like that they were at least friends yet and it still seemed that his father still was big headed. He sighed as he leaned against Remus and listened as Sirius continued to read.

**This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where he could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came he would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings. Piers Polkiss was going there too. Harry, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local public school. Dudley thought this was very funny. **

"At least I would be away from Dudley and could do better in my classes" stated Harry. At everyone's look he explained, "Let's just say if I came home with better grades than Dudley there would be some major punishment and pretending to be dumber than my whale of a cousin was hard work." Everyone turned back to listen to Sirius, they didn't want Harry to see his faces, for he might misinterpret that as pity. Remus felt Harry shuddered when he was talking about being punished for good grades that Remus wrapped his arms protectively around his cub and whispered calming thoughts into Harry's ear and kissed him on the head. The two stated like that as they listened to Sirius reading with Harry staying safe in his adoptive father's arms.

"**They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Harry. "Want to come upstairs and practice?" **

"**No, thanks," said Harry. "The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it — it might be sick." Then he ran, before Dudley could work out what he'd said. **

"Good one son" James said while everyone was laughing. Harry smiled at James.

**One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs. Figg's. **

**Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years. **

**That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters. They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life. **

"How" Sirius asked, but Harry just shrugged his shoulders.

**As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, he looked so handsome and grown-up. Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh. **

**There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water. **

"**What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question. **

"**Your new school uniform," she said. **

**Harry looked in the bowl again. **

"**Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."**

"**Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old things gray for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished." **

**Harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue. **

**He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High — like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably. **

**Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table. **

**They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat. **

"**Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper. **

"**Make Harry get it." **

"**Get the mail, Harry." **

"**Make Dudley get it." **

"**Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley." **

**Harry dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill and— **_**a letter for Harry**_**. **

"Hogwarts' letter," Sirius said and everyone rolled their eyes at him.

**Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him. Who would? He had no friends, no other relatives — he didn't belong to the library, so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake: **

_**Mr. H. Potter **_

_**The Cupboard under the Stairs 4 Privet Drive **_

_**Little Whinging **_

_**Surrey**_

Lilly glared at Dumbledore, James wanted to yell, Sirius looked pissed as well, and Moony was also glaring at Dumbledore.

**The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. **

**There was no stamp. **

**Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter **_**H**_**. **

"**Hurry up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke. **

**Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter. He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope. **

**Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard. **

"**Marge's**

**ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk…" **

"**Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Harry's got something!" **

"Shut up."

**Harry was on the point of unfolding his letter,**

Lilly and James looked at Harry who just shrugged his shoulders.

**which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon. **

"**That's **_**mine**_**!" said Harry, trying to snatch it back. **

"**Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the grayish white of old porridge. **

"**P-P-Petunia!" he gasped. **

**Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise. **

"**Vernon! Oh my goodness — Vernon!"**

Lilly just rolled her eyes at her idiotic sister.

**They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick. **

"**I want to read that letter," he said loudly. **

"_**I **_**want to read it," said Harry furiously, "as it's **_**mine**_**." **

"**Get out, both of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope. **

**Harry didn't move. **

"**I WANT MY LETTER!" he shouted.**

"See, his mum's temper," Sirius said innocently, but found himself attacked by not just one jinx but two. Mother and son had set a tickling jinx and a bat boogey hex. Ginny smiled at Harry for using her jinx that should we send to her brothers all the time. Harry smiled and gave a wink to his girlfriend. Both Lilly and Harry sat down next to each other. "Any one else" stated a calm Lilly while Harry looked around just as calmly as his mother. Everyone nodded their heads afraid to say anything. Harry then noticed Remus was trying to hold back a laugh, but was failing miserably. Harry sent a playful glare at Remus, while Sirius regained himself and sat next to James and resumed reading.

"**Let **_**me **_**see it!" demanded Dudley. **

"**OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, slamming the kitchen door behind them. Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole; Dudley won, so Harry,**

"Well it's a good thing he didn't decide to sit on you" Sirius said trying to lighten the mood. It worked on everyone except Harry. Sirius went over to Harry and wrapped an arm around him; Harry didn't flinch but stiffened very rigidly. Sirius noticed this and looked at Remus. Harry still was having trouble with Sirius' death, so Remus knew why Harry reacted the way he did, but Remus just gave his friend an encouraging smile.

**his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on his stomach to listen at the crack between door and floor. **

"**Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address — how could they possibly know where he sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?" **

"**Watching — spying — might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon wildly.**

"If they were then maybe they would take Harry away from you" glared Lilly. "Doubt it" stated Harry. Only Sirius and Moony herd it, they exchanged a look.

"**But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want —" **

**Harry could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen. **

"**No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer… Yes, that's best… we won't do anything…" **

"**But —" **

"**I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"**

"And believe they tried" stated Harry not seeing everyone's horrific looks, but kept on going, he laughed, "But failed miserably." "That's because your stubborn just like your parents" stated Remus trying to lighten the mood, which worked. Both James and Lilly blushed and everyone laughed.

**That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Harry in his cupboard. **

"**Where's my letter?" said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. "Who's writing to me?" **

"**No one. It was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly. **

"**I have burned it." **

Moony and Lilly swore causing them to both go red due to everyone looking at them, they were the least likely to swear, well besides the Professors of course.

"**It was **_**not **_**a mistake," said Harry angrily, "it had my cupboard on it." **

"**SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling. **

**He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful. **

"**Er — yes, Harry — about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking… you're really getting a bit big for it… we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom. **

"What?" Everyone was now glaring at Dumbledore who looked scared for once. Harry whispered in a low voice, "There is a guest room as well."

Lilly pulled out her wand and made Dumbledore's beard gone along with him wearing a dress.

Harry couldn't help, but laugh causing everyone else too laugh including Dumbledore.

"**Why?" said Harry. **

At his parent's questioning looks Harry explained, "It didn't feel right, he was doing something nice and that is not like him."

"**Don't ask questions!" snapped his uncle. "Take this stuff upstairs, now." **

**The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms: one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom. It only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard to this room. He sat down on the bed and stared around him. Nearly everything in here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbor's dog; in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favorite program had been canceled; there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it. Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched. **

**From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, "I don't **_**want **_**him in there… I **_**need **_**that room… make him get out…"**

"It was the first time ever that he didn't get what he wanted," Harry stated.

**Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday he'd have given anything to be up here. Today he'd rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it. **

**Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof, and he still didn't have his room back. Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly. **

**When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry, made Dudley go and get it. **

**They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, "There's another one! 'Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive —'"**

**With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind. After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hand. **

"**Go to your cupboard — I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Harry. "Dudley — go — just go." **

**Harry walked round and round his new room. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn't received his first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time he'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan. **

"Oh no, you sound just like James" stated Lilly. James smiled because Lilly just called him by his name.

**The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights. **

**He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first. His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall toward the front door — **

"**AAAAARRRGH!" **

**Harry leapt into the air; he'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat — something **_**alive**_**! **

"Run, Harry Run" stated Sirius. Harry just laughed at his godfather who was still holding him.

**Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realized that the big, squashy something had been his uncle's face. Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do. He shouted at Harry for about half an hour and then told him to go and make a cup of tea. Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time he got back, the mail had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap. Harry could see three letters addressed in green ink. **

"**I want —" he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes. **

**Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day. **

**He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot. **

"**See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't **_**deliver **_**them they'll just give up." **

"**I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon." **

"**Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me," said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him. **

**On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Harry. As they couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom. **

**Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" as he worked, and jumped at small noises. **

Harry laughed, "Now that you I look back at this it is funny how Uncle Vernon tried to avoid this."

**On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Harry found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two-dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window. While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor. **

"**Who on earth wants to talk to **_**you **_**this badly?" Dudley asked Harry in amazement.**

**On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy. **

"**No post on Sundays," he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers, "no damn letters today —" **

**Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one — **

"**Out! OUT!" **

**Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall. **

Lilly rushed over to make sure her son was okay, "Did he hurt you?"

Too blown away to answer and not expecting her reaction Harry tensed up.

James noticed his son's reaction, "Lilly you're overwhelming the poor boy."

Remus smiled at James for trying, but knew Harry well enough that Harry was going to not like the poor boy part, but Sirius knew from being in the similar situation interrupted by saying, "Remember Lilly this is still new to him."

Lilly soon realized what she was doing, turned red from embarrassment quickly apologized. Ginny went up to her boyfriend and squeezed his hand to get him to answer his mother, "It's okay mom."

Lilly smiled for being called mom. Harry hugged his mom, then his dad, and then his godfather.

Harry went and sat by his mom again with Ginny sitting by his side. "Thanks Gin" smiled Harry. "You're welcome love" whispered Ginny. Moony was the only one from his time that heard this smiled.

**When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor. **

"**That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his mustache at the same time. "I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!" **

**He looked so dangerous with half his mustache missing that no one dared argue. Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag. **

**They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while. **

"**Shake 'em off… shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this.**

**They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer. **

**Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Harry shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Harry stayed awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering… **

"What did you think about?" Lily asked her son.

"I can't remember" Harry lied to his mom not wanting to upset her.

Ginny could tell he was lying, but kept silent and squeezed his hand. Ron, Hermione, and Neville shared a look with Remus; they too noticed Harry's lie.

Apparently Lilly either bought it or decided not to push Harry.

**They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next day. They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table. **

"'**Scuse me, but is one of you Mr. H. Potter? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk." **

**She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address: **

_**Mr. H. Potter **_

_**Room 17 **_

_**Railview Hotel **_

_**Cokeworth **_

**Harry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared. **

"**I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room. **

"**Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her.**

**Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage. **

"**Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon. **

"Nothing new there" laughed Ron.

**Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared. **

**It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley sniveled. **

"**It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a **_**television**_**." **

**Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it **_**was **_**Monday — and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days the week, because of television — then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday. **

Everyone sang or should I say tried to sing, with Sirius off key, "Happy Birthday to Harry" and then to Neville as Harry mentioned Neville's was the day before.

**Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun — last year; the Dursleys had given him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks for good behavior. **

Sirius, James, and Mooney were writing, Harry asked them what they were doing. "Making a list of things for us to get you for your birthday and Christmas" stated Sirius. Harry blushed, "you don't have to-" "of course we have to" stated Moony.

**Still, you weren't eleven every day. **

**Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling. **

"Oh no" stated Sirius. "That's not good" stated James. "Something bad is going to happen" stated Moony. They all looked at Harry who rolled his eyes, "Just read Padfoot."

**He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought. **

"**Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!" **

**It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain, there was no television in there. **

"**Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!" **

**A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them. **

"**I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!" **

**It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house. **

**The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms. **

**Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas. **

**He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shriveled up. **

"**Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully.**

This time James and Moony were writing in a book called Reasons to Prank the Dursleys.

**He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail. **

**Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all. **

**As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket. **

**The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger. Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now. **

**Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did. **

**Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow. **

**Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea? **

**One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds… twenty… ten… nine — maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him **

— **three… two… one… **

**BOOM. **

Sirius shouted with excitement, and Harry was glad he didn't volunteer for the next chapter.

**The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.**

"I think I will continue the next chapter shall I" stated Sirius, but Lilly grabbed the book and began to read.


	6. Keeper of Keys

"**The Keeper of the Keys,"** Lilly read

**BOOM. **

"But Lilly you have to yell it" whined Sirius. "NO Black now be quite or I will silence you put in a pink dress with green poka dots and cut your hair." "You wouldn't." "Try me Black." "You're mean" pouted Sirius.

**They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake. **

"**Where's the cannon?" he said stupidly. **

**There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands – now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them. **

"He brought a gun!" Lily exclaimed.

"I don't think it would work against Hagrid," James said. "His skin's too thick and it would bounce right off him" Sirius added.

"**Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you — I'm armed!" **

**There was a pause. Then — **

**SMASH! **

**The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor. **

**A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair. **

**The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all. **

"**Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey…"**

**He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear. **

"**Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger. **

**Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother, who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon. **

"**An' here's Harry!" said the giant. **

At this everyone stared at a blushing Hagrid.

**Harry looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile. **

"**Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mom's eyes." Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise. **

"**I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!" **

"**Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant; he reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room. **

**Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on. **

Everyone laughed including Hagrid.

**Option A:**

"**Now Hagrid don't be scaring Mr. Potter" said a voice. Hagrid stepped aside and there stood a**** tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Harry's first thought was that this was not someone to cross.**

"Minnie came to see you" asked a shocked Sirius. "And why wouldn't I Mr. Black? And don't call me that." "Sorry Professor" Sirius smiled sheepishly at Professor McGonagall.

**She gave Harry a smile.**

"Oh sure you give him a smile, but you never gave me one" pouted James, but McGonagall could see James was joking with her.

"**Anyway — Harry," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here — I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right." **

**From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Harry opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with **_**Happy Birthday Harry **_**written on it in green icing. **

Lilly went and hugged Hagrid.

**Harry looked up at the giant. He meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was, "Who are you?"**

"Harry James Potter, use your manners," Lily shouted towards her son.

She didn't get to finish because James silenced her with a kiss on the lips. Sirius whistled, which Moony hit him upside on the head. After the two pulled apart, Lilly resumed reading. Harry smiled at his dad who had a great big smile who was proud of himself and Lilly was blushing.

**The giant chuckled. **

"**True, I haven't introduced myself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." **

**He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm. **

"**What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind." **

"Hagrid" shouted Lilly and McGonagall who cringed.

**McGonagall glared at Hagrid before introducing herself, "I am Professor McGonagall Harry."**

"**What do you teach" Harry now seemed interested as he starting eating the birthday cake."**

"You exactly ate it" asked a shocked Ron, Sirius, and James. Harry shrugged his shoulders, "It was not bad, probably Professor McGonagall made it, it didn't taste like Hagrid's regular cooking." They nodded. "No offence" Harry added to the half giant who just waved it off.

**His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shriveled chip bags in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there. It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Harry felt the warmth wash over him as though he'd sunk into a hot bath. **

**The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig from before starting to make tea. **

**Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage. Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley." **

"Like I would give you anything to your fat son" stated Hagrid.

**The giant chuckled darkly. **

"**Yer great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry." He passed the sausages to Harry, who was so hungry he had never tasted anything so wonderful, but he still couldn't take his eyes off the giant. Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, he said, "I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are." **

"That's better" Lilly smiled at her son.

**The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. **

"**Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts — yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course. **

"No" stated everyone.

"**Er — no," said Harry. **

**Hagrid looked shocked. **

"**Sorry," Harry said quickly. **

"Don't apologize Harry, it's not your fault," Lilly told her son.

"I really wish that I raised you" stated Sirius.

"That's kind of a scary thought," Remus said.

"Yeah I know can you imagine the boy who lived being raised by a barking mad man" laughed Harry.

"Oi!"

Everyone laughed, but everyone from Harry's time laughed even harder.

"_**Sorry**_**?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It's them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learned it all?" **

"**All what?" asked Harry timidly who was now shacking, which didn't go unnoticed by Professor McGonagall. **

"Hagrid's not going to be happy" grinned Regulus.

"**ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered. **

"Come on Lilly yell please" Sirius said pleading with a puppy dog look. "No, now be a good little dog and sit there and be quite."

Everyone laughed as she said this and petted him on the head like a dog. Those that knew he is an animagus laughed even harder.

"**Now wait jus' one second!" **

**He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall. **

"**Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this boy — this boy! — knows nothin' abou' — about ANYTHING?"**

"Gee way to go Hagrid, make him feel like and idiot" stated James as he rolled his eyes.

Hagrid blushed, "Sorry," but Harry waved it off.

**Harry thought this was going a bit far. He had been to school, after all, and his marks weren't bad. **

"**I know **_**some **_**things," he said. "I can, you know, do math and stuff." **

**But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About **_**our **_**world, I mean. **_**Your **_**world. **_**My **_**world. **_**Yer parents' world**_**." **

"**What world?" **

**Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode. **

"**DURSLEY!" he boomed. **

**Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like "Mimblewimble." Hagrid stared wildly at a scared Harry. "But yeh must know about yer mom and dad," he said. "I mean, they're **_**famous**_**. You're **_**famous**_**."**

"**What? My — my mom and dad weren't famous, were they?" **

"**Yeh don' know… yeh don' know…" Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare. **

"**Yeh don' know what yeh **_**are**_**?" he said finally. **

**Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice. **

"**Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!"**

**A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage. **

"**You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from him all these years?" **

"**Kept **_**what **_**from me?" said Harry eagerly. **

"**STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic. **

**Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror. **

"**Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. **

**McGonagall was glaring at them and kissing like a cat. She was too mad to yell at them. She then turned around and walked over to Harry and went down to his level and reached a hand for him to take, which he did. They moved to sit in front of the fire.**

"**Harry you are a wizard." **

**There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard. **

"**I'm a **_**what**_**?" gasped Harry. **

Everyone laughed. "Good reaction Harry."

"**A wizard, o' course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good 'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter." **

**McGonagall handed Harry his letter at last. **_**Mr. H. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea. **_**He pulled out the letter and read: **

_**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY **_

_**Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE **_

_**(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards) **_

_**Dear Mr. Potter, **_

_**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. **_

_**Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. **_

_**Yours sincerely, **_

_**Minerva McGonagall, **_

_**Deputy Headmistress **_

**Questions exploded inside Harry's head like fireworks and he couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes he stammered, "What does it mean, they await my owl?" **

"That's your first question" asked Ron, James, Sirius, Frank, and Arthur.

"**Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl — a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl**

— **a long quill, and a roll of parchment. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Harry could read upside down: **

_**Dear Professor Dumbledore, **_

_**Given Harry his letter. **_

_**Taking him to buy his things tomorrow. **_

_**Weather's horrible. We will be staying at the Leaking Cauldron for the night. We will meet up with Remus in the morning. Professor McGonagall will be back home tonight. Hope you're well. **_

_**Hagrid **_

**Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone. **

**Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly. **

"**Where was I?" said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight. **

"**He's not going," he said. **

**Hagrid grunted. **

"**I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him," he said. **

"**A what?" said Harry, interested. **

"**A Muggle," said Hagrid, "it's what we call nonmagic folk like them. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on." **

"**We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed!" **

"**That's enough Dursley" stated McGonagall shutting up Vernon once again.**

"**You **_**knew**_**?" said Harry. "You **_**knew **_**I'm a — a wizard?" **

"**Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "**_**Knew**_**! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? **

**Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that — that **_**school **_**— and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. **

**I was the only one who saw her for what she was — a freak! **

**McGonagall glared and let out another cat kiss.**

**But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!" **

**She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years. **

"**Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as — as —**_**abnormal **_— **and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!" **

"**I will not let you talk about Lilly that way Petunia" stated McGonagall who pulled out her wand. Vernon went to defend his wife and he too was now cowering away from McGonagall.**

"Come on jinx them" stated James and Sirius. McGonagall just rolled her eyes.

**Harry had gone very white. As soon as he found his voice he said, "Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!" **

"**CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!" **

"**But why? What happened?" Harry asked urgently. **

**The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious. **

"**I never expected this," he said, in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Harry, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh — but someone's gotta — yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'." **

**He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys. **

"**Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh — mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it…" **

**He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with — with a person called — but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows —" **

"**Who?" **

"**Well — I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does." **

"**Why not?" **

"**Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went… bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was…" **

**Hagrid gulped, but no words came out. **

"**Could you write it down?" Harry suggested. **

"**Nah — can't spell it."**

"**Voldermort" stated McGonagall who turned back to Harry. **

"**A wizard about twenty years ago, started looking for followers who shared similar views and believes. Most of them were afraid of him, some of them wanted power, but mainly they just didn't want to suffer from him killing them."**

"**It was dark times. You didn't know who to trust and didn't really want to rely on friends and family. Those of course, who stood up to him, didn't stand a chance. They died terrible fates."**

**Hagrid finished, " One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway. **

"**Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before… probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side. **

"**Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em… maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' — an' —" **

**Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn. McGonagall had tears in her eyes as well.**

At this point everyone was hanging on to someone. James was hanging on to both Lilly and Harry. No one did not have a tear in their eyes.

"**Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad — knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find — anywa… **

"**You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then — an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing — he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it. **

**Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh — took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even — but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry. **

**No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age — the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts **

"Oh dear Merlin," Alice started Lilly.

"Not all the bones though" Harry stated thinking of Susan and her aunt.

"Does it mean Fabian or Gideon?" Sirius asked, they were like older brothers to him.

"Both," Harry said sadly.

"No" cried Sirius. Regulus went and comforted his brother.

Arthur was now comforting his girlfriend as well who was crying that she was going to lose her two brothers.

"What about Molly" asked Arthur, he couldn't bare if his girlfriend would die.

"No" stated Hermione.

"Were do you think we got the red hair from dad" stated Ginny.

They all gave another a couple of moment of silence for their soon fallen loved ones.

— **an' you was only a baby, an' you lived." **

**Something very painful was going on in Harry's mind. As Hagrid's story came to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before — and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a high, cold, cruel laugh. **

Everyone shivered.

**Hagrid was watching him sadly. **

"**Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot…." **

"**Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched. **

"**Now, you listen here, boy," he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you,** **probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured **

Harry couldn't look in his parents eyes when this came up. Both hugged their shacking son.

— **and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdoes, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion **

— **asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types — just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end -" **

**But at that moment, Hagrid and McGonagall had leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella (Hagrid) from inside his coat and a wand. **

**Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley — I'm warning you — one more word…" **

**In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent. **

"**That's better," said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor. **

**Harry, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them. **

"**But what happened to Vol-, sorry — I mean, You-Know-Who?" **

"**Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see… he was gettin' more an' more powerful — why'd he go? **

"**Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. **

"He's not dead," everyone had turned white.

The time travelers grimaced.

**Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back. **

"**Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Harry. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on — **_**I **_**dunno what it was, no one does **— **but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."**

**Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake. **

**A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be? He'd spent his life being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if he was really a wizard, why hadn't they been turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock him in his cupboard? If he'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football? **

"**Hagrid," he said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard." **

**To his surprise, Hagrid chuckled. **

"**Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?" **

**Harry looked into the fire. Now he came to think about it… every odd thing that had ever made his aunt and uncle furious with him had happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry… chased by Dudley's gang, he had somehow found himself out of their reach… dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, he'd managed to make it grow back… and the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he got his revenge, without even realizing he was doing it? Hadn't he set a boa constrictor on him? **

**Harry looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at him. **

"**See?" said Hagrid. "Harry Potter, not a wizard — you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts."**

**But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight. **

"**Haven't I told you he's not going?" he hissed. "He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and he needs all sorts of rubbish — spell books and wands and —" **

"**If he wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop him," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter's son goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. His name's been down ever since he was born. **

**He's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and he won't know himself. He'll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, an' he'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had Albus Dumbled—" **

"**I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon. **

Everyone gasped and sucked in a deep breathe, they knew Vernon went to far this time. It wasn't a wise move to insult the headmaster in front of either Dumbledore or his wife.

**But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head, "NEVER —" he thundered, "— INSULT — ALBUS — DUMBLEDORE — IN — FRONT — OF — ME!" He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley — there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers. And then when he turned around Harry saw McGonagall gave his cousin a snout and ears to match the tail.**

**Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them. **

Everyone laughed, while the two blushed. Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling at his wife and Hagrid.

**Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard. **

"**Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do." **

**He cast a sideways look at Harry under his bushy eyebrows. **

"**Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said. "I'm — er — not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff — one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job." **

"**We didn't see a thing now did we Mr. Potter" asked an amused McGonagall who gave him a wink.**

"Oh come on now your winking at him, no fair" whined James and Sirius. Lilly kept on reading.

"**Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Harry. **

"**Oh, well — I was at Hogwarts meself but I — er — got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore." **

"**Why were you expelled?" **

"**It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that." **

**He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry. **

"**You can kip under that," he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' door mice in one o' the pockets" Hagrid said this as the trio stepped out onto the cold wind**.

"Well that was interesting."

**I'll try to write Option B, ASAP.**


	7. Option B

**Option B:**

**Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on. **

"**Anyway — Harry," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here — I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right." **

**From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Harry opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with **_**Happy Birthday Harry **_**written on it in green icing. **

**Harry looked up at the giant. He meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was, "Who are you?"**

Lilly wanted to yell, but didn't want to upset her son, so she just glared at James.

"Why are you glaring at me?"

"Because you're his father" she stated.

James still clueless looked at Sirius, they both shrugged their shoulders.

Moony and Remus looked at each other and rolled their eyes at their friends.

**There was a laugh, "Well it looks like these Muggles didn't teach him any manners. Or maybe he inherited his manners from Uncle James, either way Aunt Lilly wouldn't be too pleased."**

"You're right I am not" stated Lilly.

**The owner of that voice stepped out so Harry could see him. The boy was four years older than Harry with red hair, blue eyes, and a burly of a boy. "It's nice to see you Harry; I'm Oliver Wood, your cousin."**

"What, how?" "Just keep reading" answered Harry.

"**What do you mean, cousin?" "Oh that's right my mom doesn't talk to Aunt Petunia" smiled Oliver.**

"**Well of course I we don't talk because she is a freak." Oliver ignored his Aunt and continued to talk as if he wasn't interrupted. "You see Harry, my mom Jenny is your mom's older sister." **

"Well I'm glad that she is alive, to you get to talk to her?" "Not much, but I get to talk to Oliver, his dad, and his twin sister a lot" shrugged Harry. He wasn't really that close with Oliver's mom.

"Well that's good" smiled Lilly.

**Oliver told Harry how that he originally lives in America, but wanted to come to Hogwarts where his mom and dad went to school, so they let him and seeing that Harry was going to start school they were letting their son stay with friends for a little bit."**

**Harry looked at the Giant who finally introduced himself, "I'm ****Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." **

**He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm. **

"**What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind." **

"He better not be drinking" stated Lilly, but Harry waved for his mom to continue wit h the reading.

"**Hagrid" shouted Oliver causing Harry to take a step back.**

"Well there you going Lills" laughed Sirius.

**Hagrid eyes fell on the empty grate with the shriveled chip bags in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there. It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Harry felt the warmth wash over him as though he'd sunk into a hot bath. **

**The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig from before starting to make tea. **

**Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage. Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley." **

"Your son don't need to be fattened up" stated Molly.

**The giant chuckled darkly. **

"**Yer great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry." He passed the sausages to Harry, who was so hungry he had never tasted anything so wonderful, but he still couldn't take his eyes off the giant. Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, he said, "I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are." **

**The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. **

"**Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts — yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course. **

"No" stated everyone.

"**Er — no," said Harry. **

**Hagrid looked shocked. **

"**Sorry," Harry said quickly. **

"_**Sorry**_**?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It's them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learned it all?" **

"**All what?" asked Harry. **

"**ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered. **

Sirius was pouting because Lilly wasn't being fun by not yelling. Harry conjured a pacifier and put into Sirius mouth. Everyone laughed. Sirius tried to pull it out, but when he did his outfit changed to him wearing baby clothes. Harry saw that it was Remus who added this part to the prank said, "well I couldn't let you have all the fun cub, now could on" and winked before laughing with the others.

"**Now wait jus' one second!" **

**He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall. **

"**Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this boy — this boy! — knows nothin' abou' — about ANYTHING?"**

**Harry thought this was going a bit far. He had been to school, after all, and his marks weren't bad. **

"**I know **_**some **_**things," he said. "I can, you know, do math and stuff." **

**But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About **_**our **_**world, I mean. **_**Your **_**world. **_**My **_**world. **_**Yer parents' world**_**." **

"**What world?" **

**Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode. **

"**DURSLEY!" he boomed as Harry backed away quickly wanting to hide.**

"What, Hagrid can be very scaring" stated Harry.

"'m Sorry Harry" stated Hagrid. "No problem Hagrid" Harry went over, patted him on the arm, and sat next down to him.

**Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like "Mimblewimble." Hagrid stared wildly at Harry. "But yeh must know about yer mom and dad," he said. "I mean, they're **_**famous**_**. You're **_**famous**_**."**

"**What? My — my mom and dad weren't famous, were they?" **

"**Yeh don' know… yeh don' know…" Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare. **

"**Yeh don' know what yeh **_**are**_**?" he said finally. **

**Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice. **

"**Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!"**

**A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage. **

"**You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from him all these years?" **

"**Kept **_**what **_**from me?" said Harry eagerly. **

"**STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic. **

**Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror. **

"**OH SHUT UP YOU HORSE OF A WOMAN! YOU AND THAT PIG OF A HUSBAND OF YOUR GO BACK IN THE CORNER WHERE YOU BELONG!" shouted Oliver.**

"Everyone laughed.

**Oliver came over to Harry and led him to the sofa. "Harry you are a wizard."**

**There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard. **

"**I'm a **_**what**_**?" gasped Harry. **

Everyone laughed. "Good reaction Harry."

"Thanks."

"**A wizard, o' course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good 'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter." **

**Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to **_**Mr. H. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea. **_**He pulled out the letter and read: **

_**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY **_

_**Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE **_

_**(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards) **_

_**Dear Mr. Potter, **_

_**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. **_

_**Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. **_

_**Yours sincerely, **_

_**Minerva McGonagall, **_

_**Deputy Headmistress **_

**Questions exploded inside Harry's head like fireworks and he couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes he stammered, "What does it mean, they await my owl?" **

"**Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl — a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl**

— **a long quill, and a roll of parchment. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Harry could read upside down: **

_**Dear Professor Dumbledore, **_

_**Given Harry his letter. **_

_**Oliver and I are taking him to buy his things tomorrow. **_

_**Weather's horrible. Hope you're well. **_

_**Hagrid **_

**Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone. **

**Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly. **

"**Where was I?" said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight. **

"**He's not going," he said. **

**Hagrid grunted. **

"**I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him," he said. **

"**A what?" said Harry, interested. **

"**A Muggle," said Oliver, "it is a term us wizards call people that don't have any magic in them, which is good who would want them as wizards. And it is a shame that you have too live with these sorry of excuse of muggles." **

"**We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed!" **

"Boy did they try" muttered Harry. Fortunately only Moony herd this and went over to Harry and comforted him. No one questioned this.

"**You **_**knew**_**?" said Harry. "You **_**knew **_**I'm a — a wizard?" **

"**Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "**_**Knew**_**! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? **

**Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that — that **_**school **_**— and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. **

**I was the only one who saw her for what she was — a freak! **

Harry and Lilly's friends went and hugged her. Even Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore hugged her.

**But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!" **

**She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years. **

"**Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as — as —**_**abnormal **_— **and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!" **

**Harry had gone very white. As soon as he found his voice he said, "Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!" Oliver wrapped his arms around his younger cousin.**

"**CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. Harry flinched in his cousin's arms, but Oliver kept telling him everything was okay. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!" **

"**But why? What happened?" Harry asked urgently. **

**The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious. **

"**I never expected this," he said, in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Harry, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh — but someone's gotta — yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'." **

**He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys. **

"**Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh — mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it…" **

**He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with — with a person called — but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows —" **

"**Who?" **

"**Well — I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does." **

"**Why not?" **

"**Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went… bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was…" **

**Hagrid gulped, but no words came out. **

"**Could you write it down?" Harry suggested. **

"**Nah — can't spell it. All right —**_**Voldemort**_**. " **

"Wow, you go me to say it" Hagrid said in surprise.

**Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this — this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too — some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches… terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him — an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway. **

"**Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before… probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side. **

"**Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em… maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' — an' —" **

Everyone was pale and hugging one another.

**Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn. **

"**Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad — knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find — anywa… **

"**You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then — an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing — he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it. **

**Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh — took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even — but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry. **

**No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age — the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts **

"Oh dear Merlin," stated.

"Not all the bones though" Harry stated thinking of Susan and her aunt.

"Does it mean Fabian or Gideon?" Sirius asked, they were like older brothers to him.

"Um" Harry started but looked for Remus for help.

"They barley survived" Remus said.

At this Molly, Sirius, younger Regulus, Arthur, James, Moony, and even McGonagall paled.

"How" Alice asked very weakly.

"Greyback" stated Ron.

"What" shouted James and Sirius.

Moony looked ready to kill let out a growl, "First he turns me, now those two how else does he turn and try to persuade over to the dark side."

Ginny squeaked and answered this time, "My brothers Bill and Charlie."

This time Molly and Arthur growled, "So my sons are werewolves now?"

"Kind of" answered Hermione.

"What do you mean kind of, either they are or they are not, what answer is kind of" shouted Sirius.

"Unless" Mooney growled even further.

"Unless what Remy" stated Lilly.

"Unless they become Shadow wolves" stated Remus.

"What is a shadow wolf" asked a confused Alice.

"A shadow wolf is someone who can turn into a wolf anytime they want" stated Neville.

"So it's like being an animagus" asked Franks.

"Not quite, they turn into wolves, anytime they want, but during the full moon they become a shadow wolf like creature that are more deadily than werewolves" stated Luna this time.

"But don't worry they don't join Greyback's pack" stated Remus.

"No instead they join yours" smiled Harry.

"Oh thank Merlin" stated Regulus, Sirius, Molly, and Arthur nodded.

"There's something else you should know" stated Harry.

"Oh what now" sighed Lilly; she didn't think she could take any more surprises for a while.

"I'm one" stated Harry as he changed into a black and red speckled wolf the size of a grizzly bear.

"When" asked a shocked James.

"The summer of Harry's fifth year for Harry and end of Harry's sixth year for my brothers" answered Ginny as Lilly went to touch her son.

After Harry turned back and everyone calmed down, Lilly resumed read. Harry and his friends decided to wait and inform them about Regulus' situation for Harry didn't even find out until Harry's seventh year.

— **an' you was only a baby, an' you lived." **

**Something very painful was going on in Harry's mind. As Hagrid's story came to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before — and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a high, cold, cruel laugh. **

Everyone shivered.

**Hagrid was watching him sadly. **

"**Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot…." **

"**Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched. **

"**Now, you listen here, boy," he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you,**

**probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured **

Harry who was sitting next to Regulus and Remus shivered. Regulus this time and went and comforted. Sirius and Moony were the only ones that saw Harry's reaction. Sirius smiled at his younger future brother (Oi this is confusing, thought Sirius).

— **and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdoes, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion **

"No it's not!" shouted Harry, Sirius, Regulus, Moony, and Remus.

— **asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types — just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end -" **

**But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. **

**Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley — I'm warning you — one more word…" **

**In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent. **

"**That's better," said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor. **

**Harry, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them. **

"**But what happened to Vol-, sorry — I mean, You-Know-Who?" **

"**Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see… he was gettin' more an' more powerful — why'd he go? **

"**Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. **

"He's not dead," asked Frank. "No" everyone from the future grimaced.

**Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back. **

"**Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Harry. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on — **_**I **_**dunno what it was, no one does **— **but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."**

**Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake. **

**A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be? He'd spent his life being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if he was really a wizard, why hadn't they been turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock him in his cupboard? If he'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football? **

"**Hagrid," he said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard." **

**To his surprise, Hagrid chuckled. **

"**Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?" **

**Harry looked into the fire. Now he came to think about it… every odd thing that had ever made his aunt and uncle furious with him had happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry… chased by Dudley's gang, he had somehow found himself out of their reach… dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, he'd managed to make it grow back… and the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he got his revenge, without even realizing he was doing it? Hadn't he set a boa constrictor on him? **

**Harry looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at him. **

"**See?" said Hagrid. "Harry Potter, not a wizard — you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts."**

**But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight. **

"**Haven't I told you he's not going?" he hissed. "He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and he needs all sorts of rubbish — spell books and wands and —" **

"**If he wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop him," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter's son goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. His name's been down ever since he was born. **

**He's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and he won't know himself. He'll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, an' he'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had Albus Dumbled—" **

"**I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon. **

"Oh no he shouldn't have said that" stated Hagrid who knew that his temper would get the best of him.

**But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head, "NEVER —" he thundered, "— INSULT — ALBUS — DUMBLEDORE — IN — FRONT — OF — ME!" He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley — there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers. **

Everyone laughed including the Professors and Hagrid.

"**I think you forgot something" stated Oliver who pulled out a stick thing.**

"Stick thing" laughed Ron, James, and Sirius. "Well I didn't know that was a wand" stated Harry.

**Oliver pointed to his wand to his cousin and Dudley soon had matching snout and ears, and then pointed his uncle who gain pig ears, a snout, and a tail to match his son's. Uncle Vernon oinked covering his ears. Aunt Petunia gained a horse nose and ears. She neighed in terror.**

At this point everyone one was laughing, most were on the ground from laughing so hard. It took a good twenty minutes or so before Lilly could resume reading.

**Uncle Vernon grabbed his family into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and Oliver and slammed the door behind them. **

**Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard. **

"**Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do." **

**He cast a sideways look at Harry under his bushy eyebrows. **

"**Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said. "I'm — er — not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff — one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job." **

"**Don't worry Hagrid, they got what they deserve. I wish I could give them more though. But don't worry Harry and I won't tell anyone, will we cous" Oliver said as he gave Harry a wink.**

"Oliver is so cool" laughed Sirius. "He is" stated Harry and his friends.

"**Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Harry. **

"**Oh, well — I was at Hogwarts meself but I — er — got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore." **

"**Why were you expelled?" **

"**It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that." **

**He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry. **

"**You can kip under that," he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' doormice in one o' the pockets."**

**And off they went leaving Harry's family with barn like features.**

Everyone laughed again.

So please let me know if I should use option A or B to continue the story. Thanks.


	8. Chapter 8

**Authors Note: **Sorry about updating. I had finals and now I am studying for my VTNE exam. I won't be able to update until after January 15th. Also the only thing I am changing in option A is that Harry doesn't meat Remus (I lost where I was going to go with this), so please let me know if I should stick with option A or go with option B. Thanks.


	9. Chapter 9

I am sad to say that I will no longer be able to continue writing stories, reading, or using fanfiction due to computer viruses crashing both my lab top and my mother's computer making her lose all her client tax returns. I thank those who have stuck by me and read the beginning of my stories. If you want to continue my stories go for it. We even had two antivirus software installed into our computers. Oh well. I wish everyone good health and the best of luck.

Signing off

Father Moony


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